Barons Weekly Report

Published on January 19, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Cleveland Barons News Release


Flashback... The Barons competed in their fifth three-games-in-three-days stretch this season, playing a weekend road set. The 3-in-3 ended a 6-game, 14-day road trip for the Barons.

After jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead, the Barons fell to the Rochester Americans 4-3 on Friday night. It was a night for Barons rookies as first-year professionals Jon DiSalvatore, Grant Stevenson, and Tomas Plihal tallied the Barons goals. The Barons were overcome by a power play goal late in the third period by Rochester. The loss to the Amerks evens up the season series at 2-2-2...

A solid power play, staunch goaltending, and timely scoring gave the Barons an important 3-2 division victory over the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday night. After falling to a 1-0 deficit, the Barons rallied to tally two consecutive power play goals. Brad Boyes scored his 13th goal of the season to knot the game at one. Assisting on the goal were Miroslav Zalesak and Garrett Stafford. Stafford would continue his power play success scoring the Barons second goal of the game with a man-advantage. Tavis Hansen and Ryane Clowe assisted on the goal. After allowing a goal that tied the game up just 31 seconds into the third period, Nolan Schaefer closed the door on Syracuse not allowing a goal the rest of the way. On the night, Schaefer made 32 saves. Tomas Plihal delivered the game-winning goal for the Barons as Greg Labenski and Jon DiSalvatore teamed on the assist...

The Barons finished off their busy weekend in Hershey on Sunday night. The Barons gained their first-ever victory over the Bears with a 3-1 win. Seamus Kotyk, who did not appear in a contest since being injured on January 2nd, was brilliant in net stopping 35 shots. The Barons gained the first goal midway through the first as David Cloutier tallied his first goal of the season. Brad Boyes and Jon DiSalvatore assisted on the goal. The Bears tied the game at 1 late in the first period and the game would remain that way until the third period. Grant Stevenson scored the game-winner for the Barons on a tight-angle shot that beat Bears goaltender Tom Lawson over his shoulder. Jon DiSalvatore capped the game off by adding an empty net goal for the Barons. Seamus Kotyk registered the first point by a Barons goaltender this season by assisting on the goal.

Coming Up... The Barons return home, as they will host the defending AHL Calder Cup Champion Houston Aeros on Wednesday and Friday night. Barons and Aeros have met twice this season, splitting the pair. The Barons opened up the Aeros new home, the Toyota Center, with a 5-2 victory on October 24th. Houston was able to avenge that loss just four days later defeating the Barons 5-1. The Barons, who boast the third-best power play percentage, will have a challenge as the Aeros possess the fourth-best penalty-killing unit in the league. The Aeros got the best of that match-up this season blanking the Barons on 10 PP opportunities. Historically, the Barons have connected on 25% of their opportunities against the Aeros (13-52)... The Barons will travel to Grand Rapids for a Saturday night game with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The Barons have done well against the West Division leading Griffins this season posting a 2-0-0-1 record. Miroslav Zalesak and Brad Boyes each have three points in the season series against Grand Rapids to pace the Barons. Thus far, the Barons have converted on 25% of their power play opportunities against the Griffins. Lifetime against the Griffins, the Barons have a 6-6-0-1 record. Since the Barons began in 2001, the Griffins have posted a 115-61-25-2 record. That is the best record during that span in the AHL... The Barons will return home on Sunday to host the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks for the first time this season. The Barons will play the Mighty Ducks a total of 8 times this season. With the Mighty Ducks coming to town, the Barons will face yet another tough penalty kill unit. The Mighty Ducks have the second best penalty kill unit in the league this season. The Barons should get their fair-share of power play chances, as Cincinnati is the seventh-most penalized team per game in the league. The Barons have performed well in 3-in-3 stretches this season. In the five previous sets, the Barons have posted a 9-4-0-2 mark. Barons Player of the Week... The Cleveland Barons Player of the Week is right wing Jon DiSalvatore. In three games, DiSalvatore posted 4 points on 2 goals and 2 assists. DiSalvatore posted an impressive +4 plus/minus rating on the week leading the Barons to a 2-1 record in a 3-games-in-3-days stretch on the road. DiSalvatore, a rookie, scored the first short-handed goal of his career on Friday night against Rochester. On Sunday night, DiSalvatore assisted on the first goal of the game and added an empty-net goal to finish off the Hershey Bears. In that game, DiSalvatore took a career-high 8 shots on net.

Top Barons... Miroslav Zalesak is now tied for first in the AHL in scoring with 47 points. He has recorded a point in 17 out of the last 19 games. During that span, Zalesak has recorded 25 points on 13 goals and 12 assists. Zalesak had his eight-game point-streak snapped on Sunday against Hershey. His 21 goals are third in the AHL and his 25 assists are tied for fifth in the league. With 17 points on the power play, Zalesak is tied for third among all AHL scorers. His 7 power play goals are tied for fourth... Rookie defenseman Garrett Stafford has registered a point in 7 out of the last 8 games. In that span, he has recorded 11 points in on 3 goals and 8 assists. His 26 points on the season are tied for second among all AHL defensemen. His 8 goals are tied for second among all defenseman and his 18 assists are tied for fifth. Among all AHL rookies, Stafford ranks first in points by a defenseman, t-fourth in points overall, and third in assists... Second year pro Brad Boyes has recorded at least one point in 9 of the last 11 games. By doing so, Boyes is now tied for 11th among all AHL scorers with 36 points. His 22 assists are tied for 10th in the league. In Boyes' eight multi-point games this season, the Barons have yet to lose a game in regulation with a record of 7-0-0-1. When Boyes scores a goal, the Barons are 8-3-1-1... Tomas Plihal had his six-game point-streak snapped on Sunday. In those games, Plihal registered 3 goals and 3 assists. He has also recorded a point in seven of his last nine games (3-4=7)... Rookie Grant Stevenson has recorded a point in five of the last seven games. He has recorded five goals and two assists in that span. Stevenson gained his fourth multi-point game of the season on Friday night...Seamus Kotyk has been spectacular in his last six starts. In those six starts, Kotyk owns a 4-0-1 record with a 1.69 GAA (9 GA) and a .956 save percentage (196-205).

Kotyk was injured in the first period during his start on 1-2-04. In that time, Kotyk's GAA has dropped from 2.58 to 2.27 and his save percentage has risen from .924 to .936... Jon DiSalvatore has a three game point-streak intact. DiSalvatore has 2 goals and 2 assists with a +4 plus/minus in that span... Marcel Goc has been on a roll as of late. Goc has recorded a point in six out of his nine games. During that span, Goc has amassed 2 goals and 4 assists and a +6 plus/minus rating.

Four Want More Threes... Four Barons have excelled in the busy 3-in-3 stretches. Miroslav Zalesak has played in all 15 games, scoring 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points and a +4 plus/minus. Brad Boyes has appeared in all 15 games as well. Boyes has scored 16 points on 5 goals and 11 assists, while accumulating a +1 plus/minus. When you talk about +/- in 3-in-3's, look no farther than defenseman Garrett Stafford. Stafford has a +8 in his 13 games during 3-in-3's (Stafford missed 12/20-21 due to the flu). He also has 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists. Seamus Kotyk has been more than steady in between the pipes for the Barons. In 3-in-3's, Kotyk has six starts posting a 4-1-0 record with a 1.71 GAA and a .952 save percentage. Interesting Statistic Of The Week... Miroslav Zalesak has registered a point in 73.2% of the Barons games this season (30/41). The Barons are 14-8-3-5 in those games. When he does not record a point, the Barons are 4-6-1-0.

Pasta Lear's Hitting The Books With The Barons... A Barons player will join SlapShark at Hilliard Elementary School on Monday, January 26th at 1:30pm. The fourth graders from Hilliard Elementary School were awarded as the Class of the Month as part of the "Pasta Lear's Hitting The Books With The Barons" program. In addition to the player visit, the entire class will be treated to a pizza party compliments of Pasta Lear's Pizzeria and Deli located on 6310 Engle Road in Brookpark.

Indians On Ice... The Cleveland Barons will host several members of the Cleveland Indians Winter Development Program when they play the defending Calder Cup Champion Houston Aeros on Friday, January 23rd at 7:00pm. The night will be filled with baseball-oriented activities and all the Cleveland Indians action you can ask for. Two autograph sessions will be held during the course of the evening. Get to the arena early as the first autograph session will occur from 6:15pm-6:45pm in the concourse. During the first intermission, another group of Tribe greats will sign. Expected to attend the event are: Ben Broussard, John McDonald, Ryan Ludwick, Josh Bard, Travis Hafner, Jason Stanford, Jason Davis, Victor Martinez, Jason Cooper, David Wallace, Joe Inglett, Jake Dittler, Travis Foley, Corey Smith, Ivan Ochoa, Mariano Gomez, and Luke Scott. Getting to the arena will earn you an extra incentive as well. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a Patrick Rissmiller Bobblehead Doll. The Rissmiller bobblehead doll will feature a full head of realistic hair. It is the second of three bobblehead doll giveaways this season. A portion of the ticket proceeds for the night will benefit Cleveland Indians Charities. Prior to the game, a member of the Cleveland Indians will throw out the games first pitch to the Barons starting goaltender. During the game, fans will have the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for various autographed Cleveland Indians items.

It's Great At The Gund... On Sunday, the first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive an Authentic Autographed Brad Boyes Action Photo. Boyes, in his second season with the Barons, was a member of the AHL All-Rookie Team last season. In addition, Boyes was selected to represent Team Canada in the 2003 AHL All-Star Game. Boyes was acquired by the Sharks organization last season as part of the deal that sent Owen Nolan to Toronto. His 33 points are second on the team... Following the game, all fans in attendance can take part in the second of four "Post-Game Skates Presented By Marc's". All fans are welcomed and encouraged to bring their skates to the game, as skates WILL NOT be provided. The entire Barons roster will skate with the fans, sign autographs, and pose for pictures.

Standings... The Cleveland Barons remain perched in fourth place of the North Division with 45 points. In the North, Hamilton's vice on first place has loosened as the Rochester Americans sit just 5 points out of first with three games in hand. The Barons are well within striking distance as well as they are just 8 points out of first with three games in hand. Only four points separate the second place Americans from the fifth place Syracuse Crunch... The Grand Rapids Griffins have turned it on, not losing a game in their last six tries. They are 5-0-1-0 in that span. They remain in first place in the West Division, leading the Chicago Wolves by 5 points. The Houston Aeros are winless in their last 11 tries. They have posted a 0-3-7-1 record during that span. Houston comes to Cleveland this Wednesday...

Up and West... After starting the season with just one win in their first nine games (1-5-3-0 from Oct. 9-28), the Sharks have roared back to post a 20-7-7-2 record in their past 36 games. In the process, based on winning percentage the team went from being ranked 29th overall during that first nine game stretch (.278) to 2nd overall in the next 36 games since (.676)... San Jose has earned points in 35 of their 46 games this season, including 31 of their last 37. Along the way, the Sharks have posted a seven game unbeaten streak (5-0-2-0 from 11/15-11/30/03) and a five-game winning streak (11/21-11/30/03) They set a franchise-best 11-game unbeaten streak at home (7-0-4 from Nov. 15-Dec. 29) and a franchise-record 14-game consecutive home games recording a point (8-0-4-2 from Nov. 13 - Jan. 10). The Sharks also concluded one of the most successful road trips (based on points) in franchise history going 2-1-3-1 (8 points) from Oct. 28 - Nov. 8... Through 24 games away from HP Pavilion, the Sharks have posted an 11-7-4-2 record (28 points), which ties the team's victory total on the road from last season (11-21-4-5, 31 points), ranking them 9th overall and 3rd in the Western Conference... As of January 18, the Sharks are one of ten NHL teams with five 10+ goal scorers this season (Colorado [7], Detroit [5], Ottawa [7], Toronto [5], NY Islanders [5], NY Rangers [5], Flyers [5], Montreal [5], Atlanta [5] and Boston [5])... The Sharks face four games this week including an important home-and-home set with the Phoenix Coyotes on Wednesday and Thursday. By playing Detroit on Monday night, the Sharks will have played three consecutive games against division leaders. In their last two contests, the Sharks defeated Vancouver and Colorado who were tied for first in the Northwest Division.

Barons Broadcasts... Saturday night's game against Grand Rapids can be heard live on Fox Sports Radio WTOU-1350am. All games this season can be heard live by Crashing The Net at www.clevelandbarons.net.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 19, 2004


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